A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine. / Objectives: To investigate second-year medical students’ change in comfort level after a disabilities-focused interactive session, with regards to disability etiquette and greeting, interviewing, and examining patients with disabilities. Setting: The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix Campus, doctoring suites. Students interacted in a clinical setting with volunteers with disabilities, including volunteers with blindness, deafness, mobility impairment, and language impairment. Students received 3 surveys during the study duration: the first before the event, the second after they had prepared for the event with didactic materials, and the third after the event. Participants: 46 second-year medical students participated in the event, and 29 students completed all surveys. Methods: Survey data was analyzed using paired t-tests wherever possible, with P <0.05 being interpreted as significant. 5 Results: Comfort level for disability etiquette and greeting, interviewing, and examining patients with disabilities improved significantly for patients with blindness, deafness, mobility impairment, and language impairment. Although this change was significant for most measures from pre-event to post-event, it was significant for every measure from post-materials to post-event. Conclusion: A pre-clinical disabilities event in which second-year medical students interact with people with disabilities is effective in increasing student comfort level. / Objectives: To investigate second-year medical students’ change in comfort level after a disabilities-focused interactive session, with regards to disability etiquette and greeting, interviewing, and examining patients with disabilities. Setting: The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix Campus, doctoring suites. Students interacted in a clinical setting with volunteers with disabilities, including volunteers with blindness, deafness, mobility impairment, and language impairment. Students received 3 surveys during the study duration: the first before the event, the second after they had prepared for the event with didactic materials, and the third after the event. Participants: 46 second-year medical students participated in the event, and 29 students completed all surveys. Methods: Survey data was analyzed using paired t-tests wherever possible, with P <0.05 being interpreted as significant. Results: Comfort level for disability etiquette and greeting, interviewing, and examining patients with disabilities improved significantly for patients with blindness, deafness, mobility impairment, and language impairment. Although this change was significant for most measures from pre-event to post-event, it was significant for every measure from post-materials to post-event. Conclusion: A pre-clinical disabilities event in which second-year medical students interact with people with disabilities is effective in increasing student comfort level.

Little research has been done to determine the stress states developed in an industrial sawblade for various operating conditions. The stresses are developed from the forces generated during the cutting of materials, and also from the vibration of the sawblade. The difficulty of analyzing these stresses and vibrations results from the sawblade's high speed of rotation, which make it difficult to instrument the sawblade for analysis. Stress and vibration can ruin the sawblade from loss of material properties due to heat build-up and fatigue failure. The sawblade industry raised natural frequencies away from the operating frequencies to overcome the vibrations. To raise the natural frequencies of the sawblades away from the operating frequencies, residual stresses have been intentionally induced in the sawbody. The residual stresses come from plastically deforming the sawbody with one or more concentric rings. Experts who determine the location, depth, and number of residual stress rings are called "saw doctor". This thesis quantifies the residual stresses induced by saw doctors. Developing and evaluating finite element models of an industrial sawblade while undergoing the effects from rotating and cutting are also included in the thesis. In addition, the effects on the sawblades performance due to various numbers and lengths of expansion slots and sawblade tensioning are explored. Models of the sawblade are plastically deformed leaving residual stresses which are analyzed to determine the natural frequencies of the sawblade. The thesis quantifies the above mechanisms for a sawblade under the loads developed from rotation and a load case representing the cutting process. The work developed in this thesis is a first step toward characterizing the effects of specific mechanisms which can be used to design better, longer lasting sawblades. / Master of Science

The main focus of this thesis is the topic of spin doctoring. We understand the term of spin doctoring as a one-sided manipulative form of communication whose aim is to influence public opinion and attitudes. The thesis deals with both historic concepts and present day definitions of spin. Based on academic work, this text examines the phenomenon of spin doctoring in relation to political communication, public relations, propaganda, corporate spin and journalistic professions. We elaborate particular techniques and methods of spin on the background of important cases related to spin doctoring. These specific cases refer to anglo-american countries. The field of interest of political communication, the relation of politics and media and their impact on democratic order of society is examined from the perspective of pluralistic pessimists and neo- liberal optimists. The position of journalists in the context of their cooperation with the spin doctors is also taken into account. The research part of this work deals with the spin doctoring in the case of "Radar". The aim of the research is to find out whether or not manipulative techniques were employed in order to gain consent and support of the public in the case of building an American radar base in the Czech territory. Quantitative research methods...

1 ABSTRACT The aim of this text is to provide an analysis of the phenomenon of spin doctoring in the Euro-Atlantic area. Spin doctors are educated people in the fields of semiotics, cultural studies, public relations, political communication and especially familiar with the infrastructure and the functioning of the media industry. Critical reflection of manipulative communication techniques puts spin phenomenon in historical perspective and traces its practical use in today's social communication in Western society. Using the concept of semiology and explore possibilities of interpersonal communication techniques and characteristics of the spin doctor. We present a compilation of persuasive techniques. We follow the sign systems, specific channels and media that are used by spin doctors. We evaluate how the different channels vary in relation to the effective application of spin. We focus on the significance of the rise of new media in social communication and mediation and explore the impact of proliferation of Access to the Net to individuals' participation in the democratic process. We ask for reconfiguration mode of participation in democracy, media influence and manipulation of public opinion. The study is supplemented by examples and case studies. Key words: spin, spin doctoring, spin doctor,...

<p>The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons recognizes the role of health advocate as a central aspect of doctoring that can greatly impact the quality of care one receives. Current literature discussing physicians as health advocates is sparse, particularly in the area of medical training. This study aims to identify how medical residents negotiate between their identity as a physician, which is bound by the narrow confines of biomedicine, and a more comprehensive vision of health care that incorporates advocacy. A thematic narrative analysis of four weblogs authored by medical residents was employed to complete this study. The culture of medicine and the hidden curriculum surfaced as impediments to advocacy in residency training, resulting in residents experiencing a crisis in caring, compassion and communication. When residents were not able to care for their patients in ways that met their moral expectations of what it means to be a healer, they felt depersonalized and became disenchanted with medicine. Arthur Frank’s theory regarding the demoralization of medicine is used to illuminate the importance of dialogue within the doctor-patient relationship, as well as its impacts on health advocacy. This study explores the concept of advocacy and brings forth the question: Given what we know about medicalization and the culture of medicine, should physicians be health advocates for their patients when their training is restricted to biomedical interventions and notions of care?</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

The topic of this thesis is spin doctoring. It understands terms "spin" and "spin doctoring" as deliberate manipulation with public opinion by means of communication. The thesis includes an account of relevant concepts as are public relations, propaganda or corporate spin. It describes academical approaches to this issue. The authors criticize especially a corruptive influence of spin doctoring on democratic society and manipulative nature of public relations, but they offer possibilities of counteraction against these practices as well. The thesis considers both historical and recent manifestations of spin doctoring. Many examples analysed in this thesis concerns political environment of the Great Britain. Techniques and practices of spin doctoring such as "third party technique", "astroturfing" or "denigration campaings" are thoroughly explained. The perspective of semiotics and spin doctoring as manipulation with sign within social environment are concerned. The conflict between critics of spin doctoring and representatives of public relations is interpreted as discoursive discrepancy and both the antagonist discourses are analyzed. One chapter is devoted to spin doctoring within pharmaceutical industry. The practices and techniques of spin doctoring are interpreted in detail on this example....

The topic of this thesis is spin doctoring. It understands terms "spin" and "spin doctoring" as deliberate manipulation with public opinion by means of communication. The thesis includes an account of relevant concepts as are public relations, propaganda or corporate spin. It describes academical approaches to this issue. The authors criticize especially a corruptive influence of spin doctoring on democratic society and manipulative nature of public relations, but they offer possibilities of counteraction against these practices as well. The thesis considers both historical and recent manifestations of spin doctoring. Many examples analyzed in this thesis concerns political environment of the Great Britain. Techniques and practices of spin doctoring such as "third party technique", "astroturfing" or "denigration campaings" are thoroughly explained. The perspective of semiotics and spin doctoring as manipulation with signs within social environment are concerned. The conflict between critics of spin doctoring and representatives of public relations is interpreted as discoursive discrepancy and both the antagonist discourses are analyzed. One chapter is devoted to spin doctoring within pharmaceutical industry. The practices and techniques of spin doctoring are interpreted in detail on this example....

The aim of this paper is to present a critical reflexive analysis of spin doctoring in the Euro-Atlantic area. We aim to determine whether a spin doctor use the knowledge of semiotics, media studies, public relations, political communication and rhetoric for the practice of crisis communications. This text puts this kind of manipulative communication into historical perspective and monitors its application in social communication of contemporary Western society. With the support of current thinking on this persuasive communication, we would like to explore various methods and techniques of spin doctoring. We try to identify and analyse various sign systems, specific channels and media that are used in the practice of spin doctoring. We attempt a comparison of these communication channels in relation to the effectiveness of the persuasion. We focus on the era of new media (last 20 years) and the consequences of these developmental processes, and effects on the agenda of media (problem of agenda setting). The subject of our interest is also the influence of increasing number of people who have access to World Wide Web. We study individuals' participation in the democratic process. We believe that the advent of new media caused a reconfiguration of participation in democracy, but we think, that new...

no abstract available / Linguistics / M.A. (Sociolinguistics)

no abstract available / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Sociolinguistics)